Mahtab Uddin is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka and Honorary Research Director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM). He is also a doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, UK. His research spans labour and development economics, applied microeconometrics, and international trade. His recent works have examined automation and employment, LDC graduation, post-pandemic poverty dynamics, and social safety net programmes in Bangladesh, amongst others. He has published in reputed journals and contributed to several books and chapters.

Zubayer Hossen is a seasoned professional with a strong background in economic research and policy advocacy. Holding a master’s degree in economics from the University of Dhaka, he brings a decade of experience in analysing complex socio-economic issues, including poverty, inequality, employment, trade, sectoral investment, climate change, SDG financing, productivity, social protection, gender equality, youth, and green growth.

Zubayer, currently serving as Programme Director at SANEM, provides strategic leadership in research, oversees programme operations and the communication team, leads project development efforts, and ensures the quality and visibility of SANEM’s research and policy outputs.

Previously, he served as Coordinator and Economist at UNDP Bangladesh, where he led a UK government-funded programme – the Transformative Economic Policy Programme (TEPP) – and represented UNDP Bangladesh at various national and international forums on LDC graduation. He also led the SDG financing component of the UNDP-UNEP SDG Support Programme.

His earlier roles, among others, included Senior Deputy Director at RAPID, Research Economist at SANEM, and Executive at Nielsen Company (Bangladesh) Ltd., where he specialised in economic and market research.

Over the years, Zubayer led and coordinated multiple research projects funded by the Government of Bangladesh, UN agencies, and international financial institutions. He has also successfully organised and facilitated many international, national, and local-level stakeholder consultations and dialogues, promoting impactful policy engagement. These contributions highlight his extensive expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.

His strong skills in team leadership, research project management, and data analysis have consistently contributed to the production of high-quality research outputs and policy reports.

Israt Hossain’s journey at SANEM started on September 1, 2021, as a Senior Research Associate. Before joining SANEM, she served Daffodil International University as a lecturer for five years. Her academic background consists of a Master of Arts(Economics) from the University of Oklahoma and a Master and a Bachelor of Social Science (Economics) from the University of Dhaka. Both the academic and professional journey till now have enabled her to achieve valuable experiences and expertise both in research and teaching.
Israt has strong expertise in economic data analysis, which includes cross-sectional, time series, and panel data, using statistical software such as STATA, R, MATLAB, and SPSS. The academic and professional background of Israt has enriched her outlook and approach to research in economics with particular interests in Macroeconomics, Development Economics, and International Economics. In addition, she has close involvement in SANEM’s energy projects, which fostered a growing interest in energy economics. Accordingly, she has been actively participating in training and workshops in this growing area of macroeconomics. She is passionate about creating an impact on society through achieving excellence in economic research and policy analysis, and is always keen to understand the broader perspectives of both national and global economic issues.